Soldiers trailed them until they reached the gates of the city. Once beyond, the guards stopped without a word.
Kaira and Nivaan kept walking in silence, their footsteps the only sound in the cooling dusk.
When they were far enough, Nivaan slowed and glanced over his shoulder. His gaze swept the Palace and the high walls behind them.
"I don't feel it anymore," he muttered.
"What?" Naira asked.
"The eyes," he said. "The ones watching us from the palace."
She followed his gaze. "Someone was watching?"
"Oh, not just someone." He looked ahead again, voice low. "Thousands of eyes. But one pair... one was different. Bloodlust. Vengeance. That one... watched Aariv die."
Naira frowned. "You think someone from inside the palace?"
He gave a slight nod. "Like the old saying—Even a god can't catch a house thief. Whoever it was... they were close. Too close."
"Dangerous?" she asked.
He glanced at her. "Dangerous is an understatement."
They reached the carriage, already turned and ready to leave.
Naira looked around. "Strange. No blood. No remains. As if the fight never happened."
"They cleaned it up quickly," Nivaan said. "Too quickly."
They both stopped at the carriage door.
"What did you say earlier?" Naira asked, her voice slicing the silence.
"Alerted them about that pair of eyes," he replied. "But with a riddle."
She tilted her head, eyes narrowing. "You are cunning."
"I know," he turned fully toward her. "The kingdom is no longer in their hands. That old couple provoked and awakened something."
Naira's expression hardened. "Who do you think they awakened?"
"I don't know. But I know this — death is already inside their gates. And it won't stop until everything burns."
"How sure are you?"
"With my life."
She was about to speak when he suddenly froze. His eyes shifted toward the carriage, expression tensing.
"What?" she asked, sensing it.
He didn't answer immediately. His gaze stayed locked. "I don't feel that gaze from the palace anymore. But… from this carriage…"
She instinctively took a step back. Her hand hovered near her dagger.
Nivaan raised a palm. "My lady, it's not dangerous. That gaze… It's watching, not hunting."
After a beat, he climbed into the carriage.
Naira paused a second longer, then followed.
Inside sat a cloaked figure — a woman draped in textured blue-black fabric. A scarf veiled the lower half of her face, and strands of silver hair spilt from her hood. Only her eyes were fully visible — icy, sharp, and unblinking.
The two sat across from her. The silence that followed wasn't awkward—it was calculated.
Nivaan studied her without blinking. Then, without shifting his tone, he extended a hand.
"I'm Nivaan."
The woman met his hand calmly. Her grip was cool, but strong.
"You may call me Sira," she said.
"Pleasure," he replied. "And what brings you to us, Sira?"
"My queen requires help," she said, her gaze turning to Naira. "From you."
Naira leaned forward slightly, guarded but curious. "Your queen?"
"The future queen of Sagnik."
"And who is she?" Nivaan asked curiously.
Sira's voice remained unchanged. "That… you don't need to know."
He leaned back. "We don't deal with ghosts and riddles."
"I never said we're striking a deal," Sira said. "But if help is to be given, a token of trust can be offered."
Naira folded her arms. "Then offer."
"What do you want?" Sira asked, calm as stone.
Naira didn't hesitate. "Two things. Narkhazhir. And Saarya."
Sira raised her chin slightly. "Narkhazhir will be yours. When you are ready."
"And Saarya?" Naira asked, voice low.
She turned her piercing gaze to him. "That depends on you. If you can make her fall in love again... she's yours."
Her face tightened. "She's not someone who loves easily. Not anymore."
"Then make her believe again," Sira said. "Create the moment. We'll lay the ground."
Naira cut in. "And what about your queen's request?"
Sira stood, her movement graceful but final. "You'll know when the time comes."
At the carriage door, she paused. Her eyes swept them one last time.
"I hope you don't go against your choice," she said, voice like a whisper through frost. "Because if you do… only death awaits."
Nivaan stared at her.
"Is Saarya from the Panvara bloodline?" Naira asked, her voice low, almost hesitant.
Sira's gaze slid to her. "Are you afraid of the Panvara bloodline?"
Naira hesitated, then said, "Who isn't?"
Sira's tone sharpened. "You fear the Panvaras? Or fear the one who erased them."
Silence fell.
Nivaan's jaw tensed. Naira didn't speak.
Sira leaned forward just slightly, her voice cool as steel. "Panvaras were nothing but a family of battle freaks. Strong, yes — but predictable. Rage has no discipline. We don't fear what's already extinct. And now… you're working with us."
She paused, her icy eyes boring into Naira.
"If our queen senses even a hint of fear in you… things won't end nicely."
The air inside the carriage tightened. Neither Naira nor Nivaan responded. But fear clung to them — undeniable.
It wasn't fear of Sira. Or her queen.
It was fear of truth. Of the world beneath banners, behind crowns. Of players who didn't just move pieces—
They owned the board.
Yet as the fear settled over Nivaan, it twisted — sharpened. Like a hunter scenting prey. In his eyes... ecstasy.
Sira noticed.
"Answering your question," she said, voice easing into something colder. "Yes. A trace of Panvara runs in her. Faint — but enough to stir chaos. Still, you don't have to worry. My queen will handle her."
They nodded, silent once more.
Naira's brow furrowed. "There were others in Narkhazhir. Stronger. Powerful. Why me?"
Sira looked at her, then slowly turned to Nivaan. "Because you have good eyes, Naira. You see what others don't. And more importantly…" She held Nivaan's gaze. "We don't want the powerful. We want the precise. Those who know what they're doing."
Then, with a shift of her shoulders, she faced him more directly. Her tone softened, but the edge remained.
"I like you," she said to Nivaan. "You carry something... unfinished. Dangerous. Make Saarya fall in love with you, and a new world will open to you. Not just any world."
She smiled, slow and haunting.
"A powerful one."
Nivaan smiled back, but it didn't reach others. That smile hid too much. Or maybe — just enough."
"Aali. Your future queen's name. Remember it."
And then — she vanished, like mist before a storm.
Naira exhaled slowly, "That woman—"
"—Is dangerous," Nivaan finished. But his smile didn't fade. It deepened.